Window control device



July18,1939. f RABMRD 2,166,481

WINDOW CONTROL DEVICE Filed sept. 4, 193e 2 sheets-sheet 1 -ffqymdalw fJuly 18, 1939.I R. A. BAIRD 2,165,431

vWINDOW CONTROL DEVICE Flyed Sept. 4, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORmental .my 1s, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WINDOW CONTROL DEVICERaymond A. Baird, Elisabeth, Ind.

Application September 4, 1936, Serial No. 99,499

1 Claim.

The object of the invention is to provide an appliance for use inconnection with the windows of a building, whereby when the windows areopen, they are retained in this position to be released automaticallyfor closure in the event of a rain or wind storm; to provide anappliance of the kind indicated which will be maintained continuously inoperative condition when the windows are open; to provide an applianceparticularly adapted for control of the window whether partially orfully open; and generally to provide a window control device which is ofsimple form, susceptible of cheap manufacture and of a character thatwill permit its installation without modification of the windowstructure.

With this object in view, the invention consists in a construction andcombination of parts of which a preferred embodiment is illustrated uinthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View of a window structure showing theinvention applied in operative position.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the structure of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a top plan Yview of the sensitive circuit `closerconstituting an element of the appliance.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the structure of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the plane indicated by the line 5 5 ofFigure 3..

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of the invention.

35 The invention is constructed to respond either to the action of theWind or the falling of rain and to this end comprises ,the circuitclosers I0 and II, both of which are designed for mounting exteriorly ofthe building structure I2 just outside of the window. v p

The circuit closer I0 is in the form of a grid composed of theintercurrent fingers I3 and Il, all of the fingers I4 being united witha bar I5 and the fingers I3 united with a bar I6. 'I'he fingers I3 andIl, while in closely related parallel relation, are neverthelessseparated and the two sets are mounted respectively on an insulatingpanel Il positioned on the'face'of the building directly below thewindow sill I8. The

fingers are bent intermediate their ends, so that the whole assemblageof fingers will present a V shaped formation in elevation.

The ngers are closely enoughA related to be bridged by the rain water asit drops on the grid, so that the latter may act as the circuit (ci.zoo-5a) closing medium oi an initial sensitive control circuit in whichthere is included a circuit closer comprising a permanent magnet I9between the poles of which there is rotatably mounted a spindle 2li, thelatter carrying a finger 2| which, 5 when the circuit closer isoperated, engages a fixed contact 2'2. A spiral spring 23 functions toyieldingiy impel the finger 2l away from the contact 22 but it isbrought into engagement with said contact by the energization of a coil10 24 which is carried by the spindle and which is included in circuitwith the grid. Energizing the coil tends to dispose its axis across thepoles of the magnet when engagement of the finger 2| .and contact 22 iseffected. 15

The sash 25 which is controlled by the appliance is undercounter-weighted, so that the sash normally tends to move to closedposition. This may be accomplished by reducing the size of thecounter-weights or by applying an extra weight 20 to the sash in theform of a metal strip which may be mounted at any convenient point onthe sash, as for example, on top of the meeting rail. Despite this underbalance, however, the sash when raised is retained in any position towhich it may be raised by means of a detent 26, the latter beingswingingly mounted at 2l and being provided with terminal frictionfingers 28 which bear on the sash, on the face, as indicated inFigure 1. The detent is normally impelled 3 0 toward the sash by meansof a spring 29 of leaf form. Both the leaf spring 29 and pivotalmounting of the detent are carried by the frame 30 which supports anelectro-magnet 3|, which when energized, imposes a pull on the detent in35 opposition to the spring, so as to release the fingers fromengagement with the sash, when the latter will descend by gravity and,at a rate of movement depending on the degreeto which it is underbalanced. 40

In the closed position the .sash engages and operates a normally closedcircuit closer or switch composed of the leaves 32 and 33 which carrycooperating contacts, the latter being extended beyond the former toprovide a terminal portion 45 engageable with a pin 34 mounted on thesash, the extended portion of the spring being disposed in the` path ofmovement of the pin in the descent of the sash, so that when the sash isin closed position, the spring 33 will be flexed away 50 from the spring32 to separate the contacts carried by the two.

The circuit on the magnet 3I is controlled by a circuit closerconsisting of the fixed contact 35 and a cooperating movable Contactcarried by a i "swinging arm 36, both the arm and the contact beingcarried b'y a magnet frame 31 and the arm being under the pull of aspring 38 which serves normally to separate its contact from the contact35. The frame 31 carries an electromagnet 39, which when energized,swings the arm 35 to engage its contact with the contact 35. The windactuated circuit closer comprises a frame 40 which, at one end, isprovided with an upstanding arm 4I on which is mountedbut insulatedtherefrom a contact 42. This contact 42 is positioned so as to beengaged by a contact 43 carried by an arm 44 mounted on a wind vane 45,the latter having pivotal mountings at its lower edge, as indicated at45, on the frame 40. The wind van 45 is limited to a vertical positionand is yieldingly held in such position by means of a tension spring 41terminally connected with it and with the extremity of an arm 48constituting an element of the frame 45. The contacts 42 and 43 arenormally separated but any wind pressure from the outside, while itcannot eiiect any increase in the distance which the contacts areseparated, can force the wind vane over to engage the contact 43 withthe contact 42. In the operation of the invention, if there is no windpressure to eiiect movement of the wind carried circuit closer, or rainfall to eil'ect operation of the moisture actuated circuit closer,

the spring 23 will impe] the detent toward the sash 25 and when thelatter is raised the friction fingers will retain it in the position towhich it has been raised. In the event of rain, the moisture will fallon the circuit closer Il and bridge.I

the ngers I3 and I4 when current may flow from the source over theconductor 49 to the conductor 59, to the bar I5, the fingers I4,. thefingers I3, the bar I5, the conductor 5I, the coil 24 of the sensitivecircuit closer, the spindle 29 with which one end .,of. the coil isconnected, the conductor 52, the switch composed of the spring leaves 32and 33 and the conductor 53, back to the source. When the coil 24 isenergized, the finger 2| will be brought'into engagement with thecontact 22 which will place the magnet 33 in circuit, currentilowing'over the conductor 49, the conductor 54, the magnet 33, theconductor 55, the contact 22, the nger 2|, the spindle 25 and theconductor 52, back to the source. as that increment of current passingthrough the circuit closer III. When the coil 39 is energized, the arm35 is swung to engage its contact with the contact 35 which places themagnet 3| in circuit. current flowing over the conductor 49 to the arm38, the contact 35, the conductor 56, the magnet 3|, the conductor 51,the conductor 52 and thence back to the source through the leaf springswitch 33-32 and conductor 53. When the magnet 3| is energized, thedetent 26 will be attracted and release its friction fingers 28 from thesash to permit the latter to descend and the detent will not be againreleased until the full descent of the window when the pin 34 engagesthe extension of the leaf 33 and operates the switch of which that leafis an element. With the opening of the switch 33, the circuits on thecoils 39 and 24 will be opened, so that the whole appliance will then bede-energized, irrespective of whether there is suilicient moisturecontent on the closure II? lto effect the circuit closing function.

The wind actuated circuit closer II is in parallel with the circuitcloser II) but so arranged in the circuit that when it performs itscircuit closing function, the sensitive circuit closer of which the coil24 is a part is not energized. Upon wind pressure sufcient to move thewind vane 45 and engage the contacts 43 and-42, current will flow overthe conductor 49, the conductor 54, the magnet 39, the conductor 55, theconductor 58, the contacts 42 Vand 43, the conductor 59, the conductor52, the switch 33-32 and back to the source. This results in energizingthe magnet 39 and the operation of the detent as before described topermit the descent of the window when, of course, it will operate theswitch 33-32 to de-energize the magnet.

The invention having been described, what is claimed as new and usefulis:

A circuit closer for `windows electrically operated to be moved toclosed position in the event of rain, the same comprising a gridcomposed of intercurrent fingers and spaced bars arbeing connected tothe same bar and successive fingers to opposite bars, the fingers beingin parallel relation and bent intermediately to give the grid a V-shapedform in elevation and being spaced only enough to normally insulate thetwo sets and admit them to be bridged by drops of water in the presenceof rain.

RAYMOND A. BAIRD.

